Sweden 2010, Day 15

I am becoming an expert in sleeping in. I was restless for a bit early this morning, but got back in my bunk and went back to sleep like a good girl. Sort of decadent and a habit I will not be keeping upon my return. Still… aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh.

We got our asses together and decided to head into Stockholm for some sightseeing on this last day off. The city itself is a cosmopolitan blend of old and new; more vodka than cranberry if you catch my drift, and only a hint of lime. It takes itself just seriously enough to not become a touristy caricature of itself, though it certainly has areas that cater to the wandering curious.

There is very little one could want than cannot be found in Stockholm. It advertises itself garishly on billboards and creative signage on building sides, but the lack of English speaks of both a sense of entitlement and mild scorn for the non-Swede, and also a pride in the city which screams “yeah, come have a look and see for yourself why we are better than you… right?” I could visit here for a few days at most before being burned out by the carefully coifed citizenry and custom. The city is just a bit too clean, too tame, and too repressed by its need to impress. I can’t trust a place where the dark underbelly is so meticulously hidden, if it even exists.

We went to a media tower which is the highest point in Stockholm at 30 floors. It boasts an incredible 360 degree view of the city and surrounding areas. Once we had our fill of looking down at the little ant-humans scurrying about below, we drove to the royal palace. Should that be capitalized? I really don’t get the big deal about monarchies in general. They are in my opinion pretty useless these days, and they cost a shitload of money and resources to maintain.

Granted, the palace was gorgeous. There are no tours of the interior, but one can wander around the exterior and outbuildings. There are uniformed guards with bayonets guarding every entrance. I was told that I could go speak to one if I wanted to get arrested. I declined that honor.

This part of the city is for bikes and pedestrians only, which is very refreshing. We took a long walk, taking in the sights. Henrik stopped at a cosmetics store to buy his girlfriend an item that is not available in their small northern town. Very sweet. Then it started to rain, and none of us were dressed for it. I got soaked to the skin on the way back to the car, and I can promise you, my jacket will not dry out before I have to leave tomorrow… maybe not even before I have to leave the country in 6 days. At least I got to see a double rainbow over Stockholm as we began to make our way back to the campground.

We stopped at McD’s (ugh) and I ordered a Happy Meal. Now I have a toy I can bring back for someone. Maybe they can explain to me what it is supposed to be, because to me, it looks like a Wile E. Coyote banana hammock.

I have a tradition that one evening on tour, I cook a nice meal for the band, so we stopped and shopped for some stuff, and I made them grilled steaks, potatoes with peppers and onions, and grilled eggplant and zucchini. Yum!

After dinner as I walked to the “service house,” I happened to look up into the sky. I stopped dead in my tracks. STARS. Big, beautiful, pulsating, and so fucking many of them. Back home, there is so much light pollution that to see stars, you have to drive way up 395 to get a really good view, shielded from the lights of the coast and valleys. Here, only 30 km from Stockholm, it was nearly that dark. The longer I looked up, the more I could see, and the North Star was so so high in the sky. I think I even saw the Milky Way, a light veil strewn over the inky blackness. It was quiet, and the sky seemed to fall towards me, or maybe a part of me was ascending toward it. I felt enveloped by the stars’ brightness and warmth and knew that we are not alone in this Universe. Music of the spheres. Yeah. I closed my eyes and heard them sing to me. I knew the song well. I was one of them.

We watched the new Robin Hood, the one with Russell Crowe. I had already seen it, and was pretty damned tired, so I headed to bed early. We are leaving at 11.00 for Uppsala, then on to Hudiksvall for a gig there. It has been a nice 2 days off, but I am eager to hit the stage again!